Using a “Tampon” Before Sex Could Prevent HIV

When it comes to using tampons, you’re probably an old pro at this point. (One really had to learn if she wanted to survive seventh grade volleyball, right?) So it’s pretty awesome that researchers have come up with a new way to use “tampons” that might seriously improve our sexual health—and mental well-being.

According to preliminary research published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, scientists have infused maraviroc, a drug used to treat and potentially prevent HIV, with electrospun fibers that dissolve instantly when they come in contact with moisture. Basically, they’ve created a disappearing, medication-filled “tampon” a woman can insert into her vagina just before getting busy. It’s meant to be a super-quick, pre-sex step that may help prevent you from contracting HIV—and researchers been working on this delivery system for some time. Past efforts have included dissolvable films and pills, but those can get messy during application or take up to 15 minutes to work, and experts have found women tend to give up on them before they can take effect. With the “tampon” method, you’re looking at about five minutes until the fibers transform into a gel, which would then simply be spread around the vagina during sex.

“We want something that dissolves quickly so that people can say, ‘Hey, I wasn’t planning on it, but I’m going to have sex in five minutes so I need to use this product, and I want it to be completely dissolved before that,'” says study author Cameron Ball, a bioengineering doctoral candidate at the University of Washington. Boom. Simple. And this tampon-delivery system might also be able to protect against other STDs like herpes, too.

Even if all goes well in clinical trials, it’s still going to be another decade before we can grab this product off a shelf at the drugstore (sadness). That said, I’m all about anything that promotes sexual health, peace of mind and an overall sense of well-being. And since we’re tampon pros anyway, what’s not to love??